Life sentence for man found guilty in fatal Toronto gas-and-dash
Posted November 8, 2017 3:10 pm.
Last Updated November 8, 2017 3:21 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A man found guilty of second-degree murder in a fatal gas-and-dash theft in midtown Toronto has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 16 years.
Max Tutiven was convicted in October in the death of gas station attendant Jayesh Prajapati, 44, on Sept. 15, 2012.
During his trial, the court heard how Tutiven pulled into a Shell gas station in a silver SUV while Prajapati was working. He then filled the vehicle’s tank and two red containers with $112.50 worth of gas.
But when he tried to leave the station without paying, Prajapati ran out in front of the SUV to stop him, waving his arms.
Tutiven deliberately drove into Prajapati and dragged him until he became dislodged. He then proceeded to drive over him before leaving him to die.
Tutiven, a life-long criminal, had 40 prior convictions.
“Mr. Tutiven’s action in the callously killing a vulnerable victim, his lengthy criminal record and absence of any real prospect of rehabilitation call for a sentence that denounces the conduct, deters others and protects the public,” Judge Maureen Forestell stated in her ruling.
“In all of the circumstances, I have concluded that the period of parole ineligibility in this case will be 16 years.”
Tutiven’s lawyer Edward Sapiano said his client would appeal the sentence. At the sentencing hearing last week, Sapiano had asked for parole eligibility after 10 years.
With files from The Canadian Press
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